Stacy Rost: The Seahawks have a tight end problem

A recent mock draft from NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has the Seattle Seahawks taking Michigan’s Colston Loveland at No. 18 overall, a choice that would certainly be leaving some Seahawks fans wondering…

What?

Seahawks have a common theme with 2025 free agent additions

The Seahawks’ single greatest remaining need is interior offensive line help. Sure, getting the right tight end can help with blocking and would certainly be a boost for a team that wants to reestablish the run game. But a tight end isn’t a guard. And even the best blocking tight end wouldn’t solve the Seahawks’ most persistent problem: they have not found nearly enough success in the trenches, and won’t find more postseason success until they do.

I won’t argue that offensive line isn’t the priority heading into April. While I recently wrote about context to the lack of moves so far, I think it’s fair for people to wonder why Seattle has signed just one offensive lineman two full weeks into free agency. And a swing tackle, at that.

That said, it’s worth noting before talking more about a potential tight end addition: the Seahawks can find good interior line talent on day two of the draft. And even more importantly, general manager and president of football operations John Schneider has made it clear that he wants to stick to a philosophy of drafting the best player available. Why use a pick on a player you have a mid-second round grade on when you could add a player that’s more talented?

Especially if that player could help you solve another problem. And it’s easily one of the most underrated issues of this team.

Where’s the production at tight end?

You don’t need an elite tight end to be an elite offense, but it sure can help. Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, George Kittle, Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez — not all have helped their team to a Super Bowl win (a few did), but they all became matchup nightmares and diversified offenses that, at times, lacked elite receiver talent.

The Seahawks were certainly hoping for that when they sent center Max Unger and a first-round pick to the Saints in early 2015 for Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham.

As polarizing as Graham’s tenure was, no Seahawks tight end since has surpassed Graham’s lowest yardage total (Noah Fant’s 500 yards last season were closest). Before Graham, you’d have to go back to John Carlson’s 2009 season (579 yards) to find someone who surpassed Graham’s lowest single season yardage (520). Not a single Seahawks tight end has touched his best season yardage (923 in 2016) or touchdown total (10 in 2017). Graham was in Seattle for career yardage (2,048), receptions (170), receiving yards per game (47.6), and touchdowns (18). Oh, and he did it in 43 games, 15th most among Seahawks tight ends.

Graham wasn’t a good blocking tight end. It also hurt to watch the Seahawks cycle through starting centers over and over and over again without Unger. Should they have made the trade? No. But it doesn’t mean Graham’s production isn’t worth highlighting here.

He became the poster child for anger about the start of Seattle’s offensive line woes, rather than a symbol of other issues: the failure of a coaching staff to find ways to utilize its best weapons; a front office that tried to fit a square peg in a round hole and moved its focus away from being a run-first team; and a franchise that hasn’t ever been able to tap into elite tight end talent despite giving up a first-rounder for that talent (Graham) and paying two others (Will Dissly to a three-year $24 million deal and Noah Fant to a 2 year $21 million contract).

If the Seahawks used their first pick in 2025 on a player who can finally offer that threat, should they pull the trigger?

Seattle Seahawks offseason coverage

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• Should Seahawks trade up in 1st round of NFL Draft?
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• Huard weighs in on outside-the-box Seattle Seahawks trade idea

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